Aquariums providing a body of water in a tank for purposes of maintaining marine life and also for aesthetic purposes require aeration of the water to provide additional oxygen for the marine life and to also provide interesting flow patterns of air bubbles which are emitted adjacent the bottom of the tank and rise in irregular paths to the water surface in the tank. Prior proposed air pump means for supplying aeration of water in a tank have included piston type air pumps, bellow type pumps, air pumps utilizing diaphrams, and high speed rotary vanes. Such prior proposed air pumps were so constructed that the air being pumped thereby could be contaminated by the working parts of the air pump. Further, the ambient air which might contain pollutants of dust, foreign particles and chemical pollutants was pumped by such prior proposed air pumps into the water in the aquarium and ultimately polluted the aquarium. Such pollution of an aquarium tank required frequent periodic changing of its water and if the amount of pollutants in the air became very great, the health and well-being of the marine life could be affected. Such prior proposed air pumps were relatively noisy and became a distraction and annoyance if the aquarium tank was part of the decor of a residence.
Such prior proposed air pumps were subjected to wear of moving parts and required continual maintenance and replacement of parts. Further, such prior proposed air pumps for this purpose were limited to pumping against a relatively small amount of water head.